Today it is hard to sell huge real estate property without a certificate of an advantageous environmental audit and energy balance. The German Government has agreed to hard commitments to reduce environmentally unfriendly greenhouse gases and yet further plans of the European Union. Thus, the value of conventional buildings is affected, because they are still ahead of traffic when it comes to pollution.

To discuss this issue representatives of different departments (political, economical and scientific) met in a think tank called ENRESO 2020 initiated by RWE Energy AG, a subsidiary of German electric power and natural gas public utility company RWE AG. The meeting was held in Frankfurt. The acronym ENRESO stands for Energy Real Estate Economy Society. For the first time there was a presentation of criteria for an environmental certification which has to meet international standards.

A comprehensible environmental audit and energy balance with an economic expressiveness not only has an influence on the valuation of buildings but, also on letting, financing, support programmes and insurances and possibly on building permissions and tax burden.

According to representatives of Deutsche Bank and real estate money management and services firm Jones Lang LaSalle, an expressive environmental certification could improve the competing power of engineers, architects and real estate developers at construction site all over the world. Germany is one of the leading high tech economies and for constructing new buildings, it uses different labels from countries all over the world instead of having their own certification system. Oftentimes, these do not meet the German standard of energy saving regulations.

Gerd Hauser, full professor at Technische Universtät Munich, spoke about a holistic identification system for “sustainability” with 66 criteria in a three-tiered certification consisting of aspects of ecology, economy and socio culture. Another professor, Nico B. Rottke, presented a study on certification systems for sustainability.

The rating system to be used as a basis for the ENRESO’s recommended “International Certification for Environmental Efficiency” remained open. The American LEED-system (Leadership in energy and Environmental Design) has different certifications like a silver, a golden and a platinum one. An ICEE certificate could also award gold and silver, but also stars like hotels do or school grades or letters like credit-rankings where the best is “AAA”.

What do you thing is a great rating system for an environment certification? Do you have any ideas? We are looking forward to your suggestions!

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